Tag: design

Good news arrived on the South Coast this week with an announcement that Folkestone’s proposed £10m Multi-Storey Skatepark has been approved to be built by Shepway District Council.

The world’s first ever project that would see multiple floors of skateable structures have been developed by the forward thinking talent at Guy Hollaway Architects and Maverick Skateparks who will start work on the site soon. It’s a new development for the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust who obviously have exceptional vision.

The skatepark, that will be built inside two layers of perforated mesh for ventilation, will also host climbers and bouldering, a café, boxing club and more and will take between 18 months and 2 years to build. Watch this space.

The good folk at CANVAS are currently putting the finishing touches to the Campus Pool project in Bristol whilst also being up to their ears in concrete at the ongoing contruction on Bath’s new skatepark. They have found time though this week to send us an exclusive peep at their new project coming to Liverpool this autumn, so enjoy the first look at the final design plans.

Liverpool locals will be stoked on the news that this new build, funded by Liverpool City Council, is scheduled to be constructed in Newsham Park. The park itself was opened in 1868 and due to its status as grade 2 listed, this new spot will be made in buff coloured concrete due to its associated planning requirements. So yep, it’s going to be a very posh looking one.

The skatepark will also feature the following treats:

4.5ft – 5.5ft bowl with roll over
Brick flat bank and a long mellow bank with a small ledge
3ft bowled corneR
Up block with manny pad
Long mellow ledge spanning 2 platform levels.
Long steep hipped bank with grindable lip grading to the floor (Barcelona Esq)
Wembley gap with large handrail and Hubba
Small low level Hubba and handrail
Small taco ¼ with grindable lip and bank transfer – Taco has been positioned to create snake run with adjacent long mellow 2ft ¼ with hip
Pier 7 style manny pad with banked edges
4.5ft bowled ¼ with hips
Flat bar, blocks and pole jam wedge

And…a 3m long US style granite parking lot kerb. The same kerb that CANVAS are installing in several parks over the summer – Victoria Park in Bath being the first.

This project has started already and if all goes to plan this new fun palace, found on Gardners Drive will be ready to skate at the end of September/early October. Get hyped and follow the updates at the CANVAS Facebook page.

If you are Liverpool based you may also get stoked on the plans for the city to host a new ‘glow in the dark’ skatepark, rumoured to be coming your way this summer. See the designs here.

Anything goes these days so seeing a multi-storey skatepark idea wasn’t that much of a surprise, but when you look into the design and construction idea that Guy Hollaway Architects have proposed Folkestone’s skate scene, you can imagine they are salivating at the prospect of it becoming a reality.

Each floor has its own function, including ‘an international standard bowl floor, a flow park and a street floor’. This can also be skated from floor to floor, so it’s easy to imagine the possibilities of what the outcome will be knowing that most of us enjoy skating a public car park for that very reason, specially when it’s raining.

It could well be signed off following a public consultation this weekend and plans being submitted within 8 weeks. Fingers crossed it goes ahead and they find someone special to make it incredible, such as Canvas Spaces, whose plans for the incredible new Bath skatepark will be announced on here very soon.

Many moons back, there used to be an indoor skatepark in a warehouse in Hayes. It had a small vert ramp, a street section and a memorable mini ramp with a really odd coping design that was fun to skate. Here in 2013, Hayes in Middlesex will welcome a brand new outdoor 750m sq park designed by Wheelscape and built by Blakedown based at Hayes Hawks on Lake Farm Country Park, Dawley Road.

Hillingdon Community Trust has committed £50,000 to the project, and Hillingdon Council will contribute £130,000. The Friends of Lake Farm and Hayes Hawks have also been heavily involved. Have a look at what is being built right now here and look out for opening day details soon.

Maybe this could well be a first for all new skatepark builds, maybe this is a one off. Who knows, but right now, Oxford’s skaters will be celebrating the fact that they will not have to run the risk of injuring themselves with scooter kids rolling around everywhere now a ban has been enforced in their new park when it opens.

“OWP appreciate that scooter riders are the next generation of skater and BMXers and we may one day eat our words but for the success of this unique facility the management committee have decided to ban the use of scooters. This we believe will ensure maximum fair usage of the facility and safeyy of park users. Bare in mind – people are not banned from this park we have built. Just scooters. If you want to ride a board or a bike you are welcome.”

Visit the Oxford Skate Project for updates on the new build underway by Wheelscape that is situated at Meadow Lane, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX4 4BJ. It’s not finished yet so look out for updates on the opening date when it is announced.

It looks like the area of Hampshire is to receive more treats from the concrete designers of Maverick this year following the unleashing of this new design for a new park in Winchester overnight. Exact details will follow but for now this looks like it will be a really good addition and we are loving the brick wall and the rock on the top of the hip.

There’s no doubt that Maverick have pushed skatepark designs forward in this country over the years and as you may have read previously, they were in the middle of building the boat designed for Sheringham’s coastal skate park in Norfolk.

We spoke to Maverick’s designer Ian Jennings this week whose concept will be unleashed when the sails go on for the opening event next Spring.

“The Sheringham project has been a pleasure to be involved with. The user group were very forward thinking and had a clear desire to create a “unique” and “quirky” little park. They came to the right place!

The local ‘spot’ was the harbour (Sheringham is a small fishing town on the North Norfolk coast), where you could find the locals taking advantage of their environment, popping tricks over lobster-pots and other nautical paraphernalia. This was kind of their identity, and they were keen to reflect this in the design of the park.

Whilst playing around with ideas and concepts, the fishing boat cutting through the waves came to me… I pitched it to the group and they were “all aboard” with the idea!

The nautical theme continues throughout the park, with the anchor pole-jam and the flint cobbles collected from the beach, reflecting local architecture. The theme blends seamlessly with some legit street features including a mini ‘hubba hideout’ and a ‘china banks’ brick wall-ride/ledge combo, all tied together by a high quality finish and attention to detail. There is also a mini ramp/bowl corner, spine, bank to jersey, an assortment of ledges… there really is something for everyone in this beautiful little park. This is a facility that the community can be proud of. We’re certainly proud to be delivering skateparks that think outside of the box.

Thanks to the work of local hero Rob Sayles, the Sheringham Skate Association, and the skills of our own in-house specialist build crew, the rest is history and Norfolk now has it’s own unique piece of skate-able art – HMS Gnar! God bless all who sail in her.”

Whatever country you are viewing this from, there’s a very good chance that you would have seen footage or photos of Bloblands over the years. The infamous volcanic blob that sits in the heart of South London’s suburbs has attracted skaters from far and wide, more than likely to be followed by another session at the Crystal Palace banks not too far away.

It has come to our attention this week that locals have started petitioning for Bloblands to get a makeover. An injection of council funding is heading to Norwood Park with the intention of updating the existing paddling pool area. Lambeth council has been awarded £60,000 from the Marathon Fund charity, of which the council will have to contribute £15,000 in match funding. Consultation will take place once a design has been formulated.

There are two concerns here. Will £75,000 be enough for a decent update to this area, and secondly, will the infamous Blob be kept in the final designs? Its heritage, like the Gap at Meanwhile, the Sausage at Stockwell is too legendary to destroy and replace with some cheap ledges or yet another London bowl. Before that is decided though, Norwood Park Skatepark Association are tackling the task of wininng over the opposition in the consultation process and that’s where your support from here can start the process. Like their Facebook page today and get involved in this.

The chances are, the Blob will exist in the new plans and the area will be a smoother ride than the last time your urethane was left all over the rough crete down there, but there’s something special about this place that makes it a mission to skate and that is exactly what makes it attractive to most.

Leave your views about Bloblands here, get involved and spread the word.

Work down at the new Bay Sixty 6 park has increased over the last two weeks. The new streetcourse has started to take shape now so if you want to see new photos and video, click into the updated feature here.